Miranda Finds a Clue - A Grammatical Commentary / by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first are Miranda aliquid invenit Miranda finds somethingaliquid something is described with the Superlative Adjective ultissimum very useful. The Adverb mox soon tells us that this is occurring not long after the events of the previous sentence. duas pennas two feathers is in Apposition to aliquid. The duas pennas are described as unam rubram et unam viridem one red and one green. They are also described by the Present Active Participle iacentes which means lying. The Prepositional Phrase in cloaca in the drain tells us where they are lying.

Soon Miranda finds something very useful; two feathers, one red and one green, lying in the drain.

The second sentence has two parts, the Main Clause Miranda sibi dicit Miranda says to herself and a Direct Statement. The bare bones of the Direct Statement are tempus est zoopolium visitare It is time to visit the pet store. tempus est it is time is often followed by an Infinitive Verb, as with visitare to visit here. The Dative mihi for me tells us for whom it is time to visit the pet store. Miranda qualifies her statement with nisi fallor unless I am mistaken. fallor is the First Person Singular Passive Form of the Verb fallo fallere to deceive.

Unless I am mistaken, it is time for me to visit the pet store.